1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of syringes and more particularly to needle protection assemblies or shielding devices for syringes in order to reduce the likelihood of unintentional puncture of human beings and animals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The spread of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS in the 1980's has greatly increased the concern of health care providers over the spread of communicable diseases through accidental needle pricks or punctures. Health care personnel including nurses, doctors and other providers accidentally prick themselves with needles on an average of two or more times a year. With the increase in AIDS, the chance of a health care provider being pricked by an AIDS contaminated needle over a period of years has become quite high and of great concern not only to health care personnel but also to government officials. In addition, other severe but less deadly diseases are known, such as hepatitis, which are transmitted through contaminated needle pricks or punctures. Such punctures occur in many ways, such as a nurse tripping while carrying a used and exposed needle or even while trying to cap a used needle.
Consequently, a greater need has developed for shielding devices or protection devices for needles of syringes such that the shielding devices are effective, easy to use and require only minor modifications to allow use with conventional types of syringes of the disposable and non-disposable types. Numerous devices have been developed to reduce the risk of accidental needle pricks.
Many of these devices include a cylindrical sheath secured to the syringe which may be telescopically advanced and retracted to enclose and expose the needle of the syringe. The currently available shielding devices that provide a cylindrical sheath to telescopically encircle the needle of a syringe suffer several deficiencies or shortcomings. Many of the existing devices require an operator such as a doctor, nurse or technician to use both hands to position the protection sheath in encircling relation with the syringe needle thereby increasing the likelihood of accidental needle pricks. Thus, when the user reaches with one hand to extend the sheath of the syringe, the medical attendant accidentally sticks the free hand through carelessness, being bumped or the like.
In many of the existing devices, the protective sheaths cannot be locked in encircling relationship with the syringe needle possibly resulting in accidental needle pricks if a compressed force is inadvertently applied to the protective sheath of the syringe. In other existing devices, the protective sheath permanently locks in protective relation with the syringe needle when advanced thereto preventing immediate protection of the syringe needle where the syringe must be used more than once for a given procedure. Existing sheathing devices also tend to require major modifications to existing syringes or greatly interfere with the normal use of the syringe.